For the first time in a couple seasons, Maryland was looking forward to having some experience on the offensive line. The only starter missing from last year's group is center Paul Pinegar. However, the line lost another key piece when guard Justin Lewis was dismissed for a violation of team policies. While the specifics of the dismissal were not discussed in the official release, local reports are helping make sense of the sudden departure.

According to The Baltimore Sun, Lewis turned himself in to authorities to respond to allegations of second-degree assault. There was an outstanding warrant in Prince George's County in connection with an alleged June 26 fight. While head coach Randy Edsall has made no secrets about his focus on keeping Maryland's off-field record clean, Lewis' father does not agree with the new head coach's hasty dismissal.

"This is only an accusation. Any person can make an accusation that somebody did something to them. There are two sides to the story," Ronald Lewis said. "Coach Edsall released him prematurely. As far as I'm concerned, there is nothing."

At this time Coach Edsall, university police, and Price George's Country have not released any new information regarding Lewis' status with the team or the alleged fight. The redshirt junior started 12 of 13 games last season for the Terrapins, helping protect ACC Rookie of the Year Danny O'Brien. While the Terps have had a tumultuous offseason with the coaching change, many believe that the former coach Ralph Friedgen left a program on the upswing. Returning Davin Meggett and promising sophomore D.J. Adams, the running game should be one of the strong points in Maryland's attack.

We will continue to update this story as more details are released from College Park